US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) meets with

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) meets with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika (not in photo) prior to a joint dinner in Algiers on September 6, 2008. Rice arrived in Algeria, as part of an official tour in North African states. Rice touched down in Algeria for talks with Bouteflika, as her North Africa visit edged towards its conclusion. After a landmark meeting with former Western pariah, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, Rice said she held a "very good and extensive discussion" with Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. She was to leave Algiers later Saturday for Morocco, but ignored the fifth Maghreb nation of Mauritania, amid US refusal to recognise the legitimacy of its leaders after a military coup there.
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